What do you look for in a place to go with your child?

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Since nobody answered this when I posted about it with a different subject line, maybe this one will get answers.

I'm going to write a guide to places for parents of special needs kids. It's going to cover more than just autism, it's going to cover many other special needs but I'd like to hear what parents of autistic kids want in a place to take your kids.

I'll be doing amusement parks, restaurants, theaters, museums, attractions, hotels, etc etc etc. What kind of accommodations do you look for or wish they had? What are some things that would make you choose one place over the other? What could management do that would encourage you to patronize their place? What do you pick a place based on? What things make you and your kid not enjoy a place and what things help you enjoy it more?

I'm asking because this is the kind of information I'm going to put into the guide. What would you like to know about a place before going there?

Also, would you use a guide like this? I'll have hard copies which will cost money to buy because it will cost to print them but I'll also have it free on the internet and you'll only have to register to look at it. I'll want people to register so I'll know how many people are actually using it and not just surfing by to glance at it. I'll be reviewing places in every state (I'll be getting people I know to go to these places, unfortunately I won't be travelling there to do it myself) and I'll be looking at lots of different types of places.

Also, tell me some places in your state that would be good to look at and put in the guide.

Please give me some input on this. I know that a lot on this subforum don't much like me and really wouldn't go out of their way to do something that is for me (there are a couple of folks here who couldn't be bothered to piss on me if I were on fire lol, and I'm ok with that), but this isn't for me. My kids are NT (except for one who I suspect has mild AS but he's not interested in it so we will never know) and grown and I don't go anywhere anyway. This is for parents with younger kids who want to take them out to have fun. So, you won't be answering this stuff for me, you'll be answering it for parents who don't have any place to get this information without doing a bunch of research themselves. It's a whole lot easier for a busy mom or dad to just look at something where somebody else has already compiled the information for them.

Also, I've gotten some information from other parents who have kids with special needs so others are interested in seeing this happen. I've also talked to a teacher at a special school as well as parents. Everybody who I have talked about this too thinks it's a wonderful idea and is needed because there isn't anything like this out there. Well, everybody except for one guy who has these really weird ideas about admitting that people with special needs actually have needs, but that's neither here nor there.

Thanks in advance, so PLEASE tell me what you look for and would like to see that isn't offered.

_________________
I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

OK I'll bite
What I look for is places with few people and few rules. Generally outdoors. Forests, hills, streams, beaches, nature reserves, national parks... Whenever I'm driving outside the city I'm scanning the landscape and making mental notes of potential new locations to check out whenever the time is right.
What do these places have in common? They're either not listed in any guide, or have been listed in lots of guides for a long time and are now passe and reasonably quite. Also, there's usually nothing to sell or advertise.
The few cafes and such where I'll take my ASD boys are places where they know us, and whatever accommodations they make for us is a private thing between individuals, rather than their general policy. If there were 2-3 more families like us in the joint, I wouldn't want to be there!

In other words, IMHO your business model is broken.
Of course, I've been wrong before and may be wrong in this case.
Oh, and for the record, while I do disagree with a lot of what you write here on WP, I am glad you're here and hope you stay. There's more than enough conformism out in the "normal people" world, no need to start with that crap here on WP. That would totally spoil it for me.

I waited to post until I thought about it, and I think that everyone's kids have different needs and requirements, so maybe rather than thinking about what places are autism/other disability friendly, that maybe places ought to be rated on different things that are grouped into categories for easy reading with some kind of total star rating with a disclaimer that the details may be more important than the overall rating, if that makes sense.

For example, you could have main categories, like Sensory, Mobility, General Environment etc. and list items like noise volume level, high-pitched sounds, crowds, waiting times etc.

Then maybe you can have a color-coding system (or some organization schema, like groupings) for disability categories.

What might be fine for my autistic kid, might be a nightmare for someone with a different disability and visa versa. In addition, for things like autism, where each kid has his/her own specific triggers, the individual line items are going to be the most helpful.

Just a thought

I like ASDMommy's and Adamantium's ideas. I already answered this one for amusement parks, but questions I ask myself before going somewhere regarding autism:
How loud is it?
How crowded is it?
When are the less busy times?
Will they allow us to bring our own food?
If not, what food options are there?
Are there any quiet spots/ "calm down" areas?
Do they allow service dogs everywhere?
If not, where not?
How tolerant are they of unusual behaviours? (E.g. a restaurant will not be tolerant at all, an outdoor playground will be- sometimes this is obvious, sometimes it isn't)
Are there pictures readily available that I can use to make a social story?

Probably other things, I may add to this list later. These came to mind just now.

Since you said other special needs. Regarding my son's epilepsy:
Is there shade? How much shade?
Are the indoor areas air conditioned?

+1 WelcomeToHolland for the food option item.

That is such a big deal when you have a picky eater or someone with food-related issues. There are places we cannot go if my son has nothing he can eat and we cannot bring something for him. Even know that my son is more flexible, there are still many textures foods he will not eat. The last thing we would want to do is take him on what may be an iffy, over-challenging location AND deal with that. (Even if you are the type to make your kid eat what you give him, you may not want to deal with that added drama on what is supposed to be a fun outing)

I think this would be very helpful.

Here's what I look for before I plan an outing for my kids- one aspie and one NT. Both young (ages 8 and 5). We need decent access and end satisfaction combined- meaning, they are young and don't well tolerate long trips to get somewhere, followed by a hike from the parking lot, followed by long wandering through the destination that will ultimately be deemed "boring."

For example, once on vacation in the North East, we took the train into NYC and then the subway to the Metropolitan Museum. I was sure that they would like the Egyptian collection like I had at their ages. No, not at all. Within ten minutes the younger was tired and whiney. Hungry and bored! We managed to rescue a half hour in the arms and armour- but it wasn't a good choice on my part.

So knowing ahead of time exactly what is there and what my kids will get out of it. We have membership to our local zoo, that's perfect for us. The big zoo north of us is no good- way too big, a lot too much walking for my small boys who get overwhelmed.

Bathroom access is important, of course!
Food details in terms of gluten free is very helpful. We have the added complication of my aspie being vegetarian - he can't tolerate the texture of meat. So he has to be able to get a fresh salad, maybe rice and fries. Best case scenario, tofu.

I kind of think this is best suited to a blog where you can take input from travelers and update as things change. Sort of a travelocity for sensory families! I really thing this is a good idea

Now that I am reading the responses, I had some thoughts:

1.My kids like the museums that have interactive exhibits. Here, there is a cool math museum (MoMath) where every thing on display is interactive, and they have a games/ puzzle area. There is also a great science museum with interactive exhibits. I take them during the week (never on a weekend) when the museums first open, those are the times when the fewest people will be there.

2. We go to only VERY casual dining places where kids are tolerated when we eat out. I always order the food, ask for the check and a "to go" container at the same time. I pay immediately. This way, we can make a quick exit if things go downhill. My kids love this pizza place that has some old video games. They do better in places that they can move around in.

3. Miniature golf. It's cheap, easy, and my kids love it.

4. Any place with sand and/ or water. We go to the beach a lot. My ASD kid is a completely calm, easy going, content child at the ocean. It's transformative for him. But, even a playground with sprinklers will keep him pretty happy. Or, one with a great sand area.

5. Swings. Again, happy kid on a swing.

6. If we go to a museum, or any place they have to be on really good behavior, I like to locate an open/ grassy area or park nearby. This is a great transition between the activity and travel back to home.

7. Any place with big rocks to climb and/ or big sticks. Trees to climb too.

8. Geocaching. It is a fun family/ friends activity. My kids love figuring out the compass and being on a mission. Plus, you can set your own pace. My kid does much better in a social setting with a structured activity, but also wants unstructured, free play. This activity is the perfect balance of both.

I always liked taking my kids to the zoo. I used to get the annual zoo pass, so it wouldn't be too expensive.

I have ADHD kids, not autistic ones. Here's the short list of what I look for:

Places where running and yelling is socially acceptable (parks and childrens' museums are in, movie theaters and libraries unless I'm taking only ONE KID are out).

If we're going to be in a building, I like clear lines of sight and rooms with only one way in/out. I have a hard time keeping track of AD and HD while not losing sight of the toddler. I tend to like places like the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, where I can station myself close to the entrance/exit (no escapes) and just keep scanning the room for behaviors that require intervention.

Not crowded. Crowds are hard on me. Crowds are hard on most people. That makes it even harder for people to tolerate ADHD behaviors, and thus means I have to clamp down even harder on my kids, which makes all of us miserable and taxes everyone. After all that misery and taxing, we STILL have not performed up to code, so what's the point????

Not too posh. Working-class people and poor folks, it seems, are a lot more likely to be tolerant of kids being kids. The nobby set tends to expect undersized adults, and to get peevish when they don't get it. I check out the cars in the parking lot when we go to the park. If I see lots of beat-up old compacts and ratty minivans, we're good to go. If there's a fleet of shiny high-end cars, we find somewhere else to play.

It depends what type of kid you have. My child likes animals so he was happy when I took him to the Zoo.